The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) announced Friday afternoon that it has fully restored transmission services to areas in the Surigao provinces that were plunged into darkness by Tropical Depression Basyang.
According to an NGCP advisory, the Placid-Madrid 69-kilovolt (kV) line was brought back online at 1:44 p.m. on Friday. The line had been out of service since 10:23 p.m. Thursday night due to the weather disturbance.
The restoration of the transmission line stabilizes the power supply for customers of the Surigao del Norte Electric Cooperative (SURNECO) and the Surigao del Sur II Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SURSECO II).
The repairs come as Basyang continues to lose strength while moving across the Visayas.
According to the 5 p.m. bulletin from the state weather bureau, the tropical depression was located near Dauis, Bohol, packing maximum sustained winds of 55 kph and gusts of up to 75 kph.
While Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 remains in effect for several areas from Luzon to Mindanao, the weather bureau noted that the storm is expected to make additional landfalls over Cebu and Negros Oriental before heading toward Panay Island.
Heavy rainfall and strong winds are still expected in areas along the storm’s path.